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BAGHDAD - The number of U.S. troops in Iraq has fallen below 50,000 for the first time since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and ahead of the end-of-the-month deadline mandated by President Barack Obama, the American military said in a statement Tuesday.

The number is a watershed in the more than seven years that the United States has been at war in Iraq. Under Obama's plan, American forces will no longer conduct combat operations but are instead to train Iraqi troops and help with counterterrorism operations - if asked for by the Iraqis.

Once completed, an estimated 640,000 bricks will cover the new brigade and battalion headquarters for the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team on Fort Stewart. Military officials and representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Mortenson Construction gathered for a brick laying ceremony at the headquarters construction site Wednesday morning.

Numerous transactions at Army and Air Force Exchange operations are experiencing a double whammy no one saw coming: a processing error resulting in duplicate charges on credit and debit card transactions.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff last week stressed the need for strong garrison leadership, underscoring the effects longer periods at home between deployments may have on troops and their families in the future.

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced last week a series of initiatives designed to reduce overhead, duplication and excess in the Department of Defense and, over time, instill a culture of savings and restraint in America's defense institutions.

Two separate charitable events tomorrow will be held to help improve the lives of veterans here at home. One group pairs therapy horses with injured soldiers; the other seeks to build a home for a wounded warrior.

Fort Stewart plans to be ready for a worst case scenario, such as the tragedy that unfolded on Nov. 5, 2009, at Fort Hood outside Killeen, Texas, when U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan killed 13 people and wounded 30 others.

Third Infantry Division deputy commander general-rear Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Phillips was nominated by the president of the United States for promotion to the rank of major general, according to a Department of Defense advisory released this week.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2010 – As President Barack Obama this week hailed "one of the largest logistics operations we've seen in decades" accompanying the force drawdown in Iraq, the commander overseeing the movement credited hard work and intensive preparation with ensuring the mission proceeds smoothly and ahead of schedule.

August 09, 2010|
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
|Military